Winter 2023 Murphy Reporter

REPORTER

HUBBARD SCHOOL

LEADING IN STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

DIRECTOR

Elisia Cohen

EDITOR

Amanda Fretheim Gates

DESIGN

Jeanne Schacht

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Claire Colby, Katie Dohman, Madeleine Ware

PROOFREADER

Katie Dohman

2022-2023 HSJMC ALUMNI SOCIETY BOARD MEMBERS

Michael Schommer, president

Kelli (Theiler) Brady

Alexa (Trussoni) Cushman

McKenna Ewen

Riham Feshir

Maggie Habashy

Suzy (Hart) Langdell

Shreya Mukherjee

Jenni Pinkley

Karen Schultz

Emee (Drews) Strauss

The Murphy Reporter is published semiannually by the University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication for alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends of the school.

Send questions or comments to murphrep@ umn.edu or Murphy Reporter, 111 Murphy Hall, 206 SE Church St., Minneapolis, MN 55455

The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to murphrep@umn.edu

AS I CLOSE ON MY SIXTH YEAR AS director, having served through the peak of the pandemic, I have been delighted to spend the past year meeting alumni and friends. These efforts culminated at our November Centennial Gala (see page 6), or what I also have been referring to as our “Great Minnesota Media Get Together,” which was a philanthropic and social success.

I have been deeply impressed with the support we have received from the School’s professional community and alumni this past year (see our donor roster starting on page 35) as we seek to provide new and exciting opportunities for our students in the form of paid internships, unique culminating experiences in our classrooms, and opportunities for education abroad.

I’m also grateful for the support of our Loeffler construction team and staff whose hard work allowed us to open our lower-level laboratory classrooms, library, and Hubbard “Media Hub” spaces for students this spring (see photos on page 4). Managing this major construction project of our studios and labs within a nine-month time span required strong preparation and planning. It was important to me and the University that our pandemic-affected students be able to begin learning in these new spaces this spring. I am #UMNProud that these plans were well implemented, and I invite you to come see the new space anytime.

I want to take a moment to reflect on several programmatic highlights and bring those to your attention. First, last summer we piloted an internship program at outstate newspapers. Called Report for Minnesota (see page 5), the program funded two students during a 10-week internship at a community newspaper in a rural part of the state. The program not only created a wonderful opportunity for the students, it strengthened our statewide ties with newspapers. At our Gala, we raised funds to continue this program for the next two years. We are working on plans to expand it to broadcasting and other digital media internship opportunities, and we’d love your help. Please reach out if you have ideas or opportunities.

In the fall of 2021, the School brought in the College’s student-run communications agency, Backpack. I am proud that with the leadership of Jennifer Johnson and a strong Board of Directors, we’ve been able to grow the program and offer this professional opportunity to our students. The student agency has a track record of success working with non-profit clients. The students have shared that they particularly enjoy working with clients interested in strategic insights for their media strategies involving adolescents and young adults. Learn more on page 34. Finally, this issue gave us a chance to highlight many achievements in strategic communication (starting on page 12). You’ll find highlights on a number of our faculty, including Jisu Huh, Sherri Katz, Amy O’Connor, Hyejoon Rim, Adam Saffer and new hire Erich Sommerfeldt. You’ll also find an update on our nearly 20-year strong professional master’s program (see page 18). We have worked hard in the School to grow and nourish the strategic communication program, and these are just a handful of stories and proud moments for our talented team. (Stay tuned for the summer issue when we focus on the journalism program and its achievements.)

We have worked hard in the School to grow and nourish the strategic communication program. In this issue, we share just a handful of stories and proud moments for our talented team.

The centennial year for the Hubbard School was a wonderful opportunity to connect with alums, donors and friends and work together to imagine our future. I hope to continue these connections for years to come, and I welcome your feedback. You can contact me at sjmc-dir@umn.edu.

All my best,

Elisia L. Cohen, Ph.D. Director and Professor

PHOTO BY PATRICK O'LEARY

THE SCHOOL WELCOMES ERICH SOMMERFELDT

THIS SPRING, THE HUBBARD SCHOOL WELCOMED Associate Professor

Erich Sommerfeldt. Sommerfeldt also takes on the role of academic director of the Professional Master’s in Strategic Communication program.

Sommerfeldt received his Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the Gaylord School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma. He studies the ways in which communication contributes to rebuilding relationships in developing nations, and in crisis, conflict-prone or post-conflict societies. He publishes across public relations, public diplomacy, networks, and organizational communication areas.

SCHOOL WELCOMES MURROW FELLOWS

ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2022, SENIOR FELLOW SCOTT LIBIN and Silha Center Director Jane Kirtley hosted the Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists fellows who were taking part in the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program. The participants were print and broadcast journalists from 16 different countries, including Armenia, Bangladesh, Croatia, Ethiopia, Malaysia and South Africa. They discussed topics including the history and importance of press freedom in the United States; the structure, practices, and future of broadcast journalism in the United States; how new technologies shape the way news is gathered, reported, distributed, and consumed; and the crucial role of responsibility and accuracy in reporting in a democracy.

In 2020, Sommerfeldt was selected by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and the U.S. Department of State as a Jefferson Science Fellow—the only communication scholar ever to receive this honor. He was appointed as a Senior Advisor to the State Department in 2022. He is a two-time winner of the “Best Article of the Year” award from the Public Relations Division of the National Communication Association. Sommerfeldt has repeatedly consulted for the U.S. Department of State and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and has been invited to lecture by the Department of Defense Information School, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army Reserve, NATO, and the Norwegian Business School. He was recently elected as the vice-chair of the Public Relations Division of the International Communication Association.

“I couldn’t be happier to join the Hubbard School as the academic

director of the Professional M.A. in Strategic Communication. The Hubbard School has world-class instructors and researchers, and I look forward to joining their ranks and learning from my new colleagues as well as the excellent students in the M.A. program. I thank my new Minnesota friends for giving me such a warm welcome!”

SCHOOL COMMUNITY GAVE TO THE MAX

ON NOV. 17, 2022, THE SCHOOL RAISED more than $4,000 on Give to the Max Day. The gifts support the School’s emergency student scholarship funds, helping students with technology needs, internship opportunities and other financial emergencies. To give, visit z.umn.edu/hsjmcgive

REGISTER NOW: NORTHERN EXPOSURE

PHOTOJOURNALISM CONFERENCE

THE NORTHERN EXPOSURE PHOTOJOURNALISM CONFERENCE is back for its fifth year (third year in person) March 31-April 2. For the last several years, photojournalists have shaped the way we receive news about the pandemic, unrest, social justice and more. It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s definitely been important. Northern Exposure is an anythingbut-the-same-old conference giving photojournalists (and students) a chance to talk about photography, video and storytelling. This year’s speakers Daniella Zalcman and Julio Cortez. Visit northernexposuremn.org for more details and to register.

MURPHY HALL LOWER-LEVEL COMPLETE

THE MURPHY HALL LOWER-LEVEL RENOVATION WAS COMPLETED in November 2022, making it ready for spring semester classes. The updated space provides more gathering rooms for students, a new huddle area, three new lab classrooms, a brand-new broadcast studio and podcast booth, and an updated library area, courtesy of a gift from Michael Hill and Barbara Bink. The School celebrated the grand opening with an open house event on Jan. 20, 2023.

GALA FUND-A-NEED RAISES MORE THAN $25,000 FOR REPORT FOR MINNESOTA

The internship program will continue thanks to the generous support.

Last summer, the School launched a pilot internship program, Report for Minnesota. Journalism instructor Gayle Golden matched two journalism students with two outstate newspapers for a 10-week, 20-hour-per-week paid internship. Thanks to a generous donation, the School could offer the students not only a paid internship, but also housing support, allowing them to take this training experience outside of the Twin Cities.

This was a win-win situation for both the student and the newspaper; the newspaper received an intern who otherwise would not have been about to consider an outstate opportunity, and the student walked away with invaluable experience.

During the School’s Centennial Gala, the hope was to expand the program through a fund-aneed live auction and add other prestigious Report for Minnesota summer experiences that provide students with statewide or even national opportunities in multimedia journalism. With two seed donors at $10,000 each, as well as more than 50 others giving between $100 and $1,000, the School was able to raise more than $25,000, unlocking a $25,000 match from the Hubbard family.

To support programs like Report for Minnesota, please contact the School’s giving officer, Alex Stern, at astern@umn.edu

“To go into a community knowing no one, reporting often by myself on really any topic, I am very proud of myself. I tackled health care, public health, public policy, and interest stories and I felt like with each story I was doing more than I could do the time before. I do really think this is a quality that’s unique to small town reporting as you’re often doing everything all at once. It has boosted my confidence to feel like if given sufficient time and support I could cover just about anything, which I think is a hard thing to come by in today’s news internships.”

—Mitchell Levesque, student, Swift County Monitor

“When we give our students the opportunity to work in a rural or outstate newsroom, we give them the foundation for everything they need as journalists. They learn the importance of trust-building and source development. They see the impact of their stories on people and institutions. They witness the consequences on a community when local news is difficult to get. Their perspectives change. These internships are the future.”

—Gayle Golden, instructor

“Since I had the opportunity to pitch my own stories and was assigned stories, I was able to get a really solid idea of what was newsworthy in this community, especially through reading through their past coverage, which was extensive. The variety of stories I got to write was amazing in showing me what interests me most and what kinds of stories I excel at. I am so grateful I got to do this.”

—Olivia Stevens, student, The Mankato Free Press

“Olivia demonstrated a professionalism well beyond her years. She is personable, a critical thinker and willing to do what she needs to do to complete a task to the best of her ability. We’d hire her in a heartbeat if she were available right now to fill a position. She has all the attributes of a new hire that we look for: reporting and writing skills, critical thinking skills, and an eagerness to learn and improve. It was much appreciated that she was given a mileage allowance so she could do most of her reporting in person and be part of the staff when they were in the office.”

“We showed Mitchell a broad range of how a community newspaper works. I would hope that his experience at the Monitor-News put him on the path to the next steps in his journey as a journalist.”

—Reed Anfinson, Swift County Monitor in Benson, Minn.

—Kathy Vos, The Mankato Free Press

Mitchell Levesque

Olivia Stevens

SCHOOL CELEBRATES 100 YEARS

ALUMS, DONORS, FACULTY AND FRIENDS

TTHE HUBBARD SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION CELEBRATED ITS CENTENNIAL on Nov. 5, 2022, at McNamara Alumni Center. The evening featured a VIP reception, live and silent auctions, fundraising games and dinner. Remarks to commemorate the evening were given by Director Elisia Cohen, College of Liberal Arts Dean John Coleman, Provost Rachel Croson, President Joan Gabel, Senator Amy Klobuchar, donor Brenda Johnston and Stanley Hubbard. Hosted by KTSP anchor Leah McLean, the event brought together more than 270 alums, donors, faculty, staff, students, community partners, event sponsors and many others.

Dean Coleman started the evening. “To the many alumni in the room, I hope you’ll agree that your degree from the Hubbard School helped you find professional success, and has also helped you develop the skills and confidence to more fully launch into public life, to listen and engage with a range of viewpoints with humility and empathy, to learn how to participate in robust and

productive dialogue, and to see engaging with others across all of our differences as a wonderful and powerful opportunity,” he said. “On behalf of the College, we take great pride in your accomplishments. And we are grateful for the help of Hubbard School alums, donors, and friends for all that you make possible for the School and for today’s Gophers.”

After dinner, Cohen spoke about the past, but also looked to the next 100 years. “Through the years, the faculty and staff at the School have known exactly what it takes to help our students to do exceptional work and make an impact in whatever field they choose,” Cohen said. “We know how to give our faculty the latitude, resources, and opportunities to break new ground in their areas of expertise.”

Senator Amy Klobuchar appeared via video to congratulate the School and announce her family’s scholarship in honor of her late father, Jim Klobuchar. “For the last 100 years, the Hubbard School has turned

GALA PHOTOS BY PATRICK O'LEARY AND CHRIS COOPER

GALA

GATHERED TO HONOR A CENTURY.

out generations of journalists who have held power accountable and documented our nation’s stories,” she said. “I’m doing all I can in Washington to make sure journalism remains strong, but you’re doing the work. Here’s to 100 more years of preparing students to interview presidents, writing against the clock, and telling stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”

The evening also allowed Cohen, the School and the College to honor the Hubbard family with the Centennial Legacy Award. Not only has the Hubbard family—both personally and through business—led a legacy of innovation in the Twin Cities community, but their decades of restriction-free support to the University and the School has come during both easy times and tough times.

“There are some contributions that have been made over the School’s history that are not as well known to the public, but have been incredibly important to sustaining and building the School during its most difficult and challenging days,” Cohen said, when presenting the award. “These contributions have been a lantern for the School, helping to shine a light on what is possible, what may be innovative, and what may help move the School forward to be an

absolute leader in the field of journalism and mass communication.”

Through pre-event giving and all the evening’s on-site activities, the School raised nearly $80,000, including a $25,000 gift from the Hubbard family, for student programming, such as Backpack and Report for Minnesota. But it was the connections made and the relationship rekindled, especially after the long pandemic, that proved most valuable that night.

“At this inflection point, we are ready to meet the biggest challenges and seize the most promising opportunities,” Cohen said. “As we maintain our commitment to the foundational principles of journalism and communication, we will never stop striving to take the best advantage of new tools, technologies, and ideas to support our larger ideals. We are incredibly proud of the Hubbard School’s history and its more than 100 years of accomplishments.

“But we aren’t content to rest on our laurels,” she finished. “We know there is more work to do. And we also believe that our best days are ahead of us. We know that the most important stories we can tell are just beginning—and we hope that as we pursue our most important goals, you will be a part of this story as well.”

Hubbard School instructor Gayle Golden and Chris Worthington, Minnesota Newspaper Association Director Lisa Hills, Swift County Monitor Owner and Editor Reed Anfinson, and Mankato Free Press Editor Joe Spear.

The Hubbard family receives the Centennial Legacy Award. Left to right: Karen Hubbard, Rob Hubbard, Stanley Hubbard, Katy Froiland, Elisia Cohen, Ginny Morris, Heidi Hubbard and Jane Hubbard.

Tim Blotz of FOX 9 introduced Director Elisia Cohen at the VIP reception.

Emceeing the evening: KSTP anchor Leah McLean.

Senator Amy Klobuchar appeared via video to offer congratulations.

Scott Meyer, Holly Meyer and Brenda Johnston.

Elisia Cohen, Dean John Coleman and Laura Leitch.

Below: Michael Hill and Barbara Bink.

Joel And Laurie Kramer and Joyce and Dan Wascoe.

Stanley Hubbard gives remarks after receiving the Centennial Legacy Award.

Elisia Cohen offered thoughts on the past and the future of the School.

Carol Handberg, Dave and Linda Mona, and Ronald Handberg.

The live auction raised thousands of dollars for student programming. Auctioneer: Dan Masloski of Fladeboe Auctions.

Gordon Leighton, Bob Rumpza, Gail Morrison and Tim Blotz.

A string duo provided music for the evening.

Jane Kirtley, Diane Wille, Herb Terry and Ellen Wartella.

Attendees bid on more than 30 silent auction items during the evening.

Amelious Whyte, Jr., María Len-Ríos, and Erich Sommerfeldt.

Jodi and Mark Jenson, Chris Ison and Nancy Cassutt.

Jorg Pierach, Scott Meyer, Elisia Cohen, and Dave Mona. Pierach, Meyer and Mona served as the sponsorship committee.

Sherri Jean Katz and Hyejoon Rim.

Beatrice Borteo, Dhavan Shah, and Christine Garlough. Nate and Kelli Brady, Adam and Heather Arntson, and Ryan Stoer.

Marilyn Carlson Nelson and Stanley Hubbard.

Nancy Yang, Riham Feshir, and Regina McCombs.

Brenda Johnston, wife of the late Earl Johnston, speaks about the family’s new legacy scholarship.

Ted Davis bids on an auction item.

The Backpack student team with their advisors, including (first row, from right), Bob Rumpza, Jennifer Johnson and Marty Brandt, and (back row, from right) Scott Meyer and Jorg Pierach.

Current Minnesota Daily Editor Maia Irvin and alum Dan Wascoe, who served as the Minnesota Daily editor from 1965-66.

Elisia Cohen receives applause during the program.

Leah McLean plays the Hubbard School Timeline game.

IN STRATEGIC LEADING COMMUNICATION

WITH 75 PERCENT OF UNDERGRADS CHOOSING IT AS A MAJOR, a vigorous professional master’s degree, and a robust team of academic and professional faculty, the Strategic Communication program at the Hubbard School has never been stronger. Faculty research ranges from corporate social responsibility and health miscommunication to multiscreening and privacy issues across ad platforms. Graduates of the program earn jobs at top-tier agencies such as Fallon, Colle McVoy and Weber Shandwick or Fortune 500 companies such as Target, Ecolab and CHS.

While it’s impossible to highlight all the School’s strides in strategic communication, the following pages give just a taste of all of the accomplishments in the past year.

and Allison Steinke.

Starting at the top row, left to right: Emily Vraga, Rebekah Nagler, Sherri Jean Katz, Erich Sommerfeldt, Amy O’Connor, Jisu Huh, Hyejoon Rim, Adam Saffer, Claire Segijn, Marco Yzer, Elisia Cohen, María Len-Ríos, Alvin Zhou, Haseon Park, Jennifer Johnson, Mark Jenson, Don Allen, Rich McCracken, Scott Meyer

PHOTOS BY BILL KELLEY

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: ON THE IRON RANGE AND BEYOND

BY MADELEINE WARE

If you’ve ever been to Huntington Bank Stadium, a Carlson School of Management classroom, or the Best Buy Theater on campus, you’ve been a beneficiary of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). CSR describes the many ways that corporations build relationships with their communities and employees through philanthropy, employee volunteerism, giving to local nonprofit organizations, and more.

In fact, Minnesota has one of the highest concentrations of corporate headquarters in the nation, which means that Minnesota is a great place for researchers and academics to study the relationships between corporations and society.

Through her research, Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication Associate Professor Amy O’Connor is interested in understanding how CSR is showing up in the lives of Minnesota mining workers. O’Connor is particularly interested in how CSR is shaped by the interdependence of corporations, communities, and workers.

“One of the things that I think is interesting is asking ‘What are the responsibilities of corporations to the commons and how do they enact those? What does that look like for people who live in those communities? How does that shift our understanding of what corporations should be or are?’” she said.

The trend toward CSR began in the 1980s with Ronald Reagan’s push for corporations to take responsibility for services and support that were previously government domain. “Now, CSR is an expectation that people have for corporations,” O’Connor said. Beyond the basics, such as providing workers with health care, corporations are expected to participate in a range of

activities from philanthropy to brand activism in an effort to demonstrate their fit within society and maintain their social license to operate.

However, according to O’Connor, there is still a lot about CSR that researchers don’t understand yet. “Beyond things like philanthropy and brand activism, we’re still learning a lot about what [CSR] looks like in local places.” O’Connor’s research attempts to fill in some of the gaps and explore CSR at a local scale.

CSR ON THE IRON RANGE

O’Connor is excited about her latest study because it will be the first look at CSR in an industry that has rarely been studied in the U.S. context. “I’m excited that this will be the first ethnographic account of CSR in the U.S. mining industry,” she said. The research involves interviewing Hibbing Taconite miners and community members to understand their experiences and expectations about the company’s CSR efforts.

One might think that CSR is always a positive for the communities that corporations serve, but it is often much more nuanced. O’Connor’s research has found that CSR in mining communities isn’t always straightforward, and involves paradoxes between what CSR promises and what workers experience. “Some of the paradoxes I have found include safe production, diversification, and longevity within a finite resource,” she said.

Just like any corporation, mining companies have their own unique struggles in maintaining a good reputation, such as ensuring the safety of their unionized employees and navigating an industry that relies on resources that are quickly depleting and may be completely gone within the next few years. However, Cleveland Cliffs, the managing owner of the Hibbing Taconite mine, has also been doing a lot of positive things for the community. “Mining companies are helping to build new additions to local schools, parks, and daycares. They’re a reliable partner for local nonprofits and contribute to the community’s overall quality of life through taxes, employment, and other donations” O’Connor said.

O’Connor also hopes that the research will be especially insightful for Minnesotans. “Mining communities are particularly interesting to me because of their impact on the state of Minnesota,” she said. “Many people don’t know about the mining that happens in northern Minnesota, or they have outdated examples of what

Associate Professor Amy O’Connor explores local ties between taconite mining companies and the communities they serve.

RALLY PHOTOS BY JERRY BURNES/IRON RANGE TODAY

mining is.” By sharing the stories of miners, O’Connor hopes to share the story of a region that has historically been misunderstood.

“I am very grateful to the miners and community members that have been willing to let me into their lives and tell their stories…This research goes beyond the stereotypes of mining in Minnesota and hopefully tells a more detailed and nuanced story,” she said.

CREATING A CSR HANDBOOK

But O’Connor wasn’t always looking at CSR from an academic lens. Her interest in CSR began during her eight years in the advertising and public relations field. “I had always been interested in the relationship between corporations and society,” she said.

Now, in addition to her research into mining communities, O’Connor is contributing her own knowledge and academic expertise in the creation of The Routledge Handbook on Corporate Social Responsibility and Communication , which engages current literature on CSR and offers bold and exciting directions for future research. “I contributed two chapters, recruited authors from 15 countries and 36 universities to write chapters, and edited the book in its entirety,” she said of her role.

The book is designed for both novices and experts to gain a better understanding of CSR and covers topics like theoretical underpinnings, the form and content of CSR messaging, and tensions associated with CSR communication. It is now available for students, faculty, and researchers to use in their academic studies nationwide.

By sharing the stories of miners, O’Connor hopes to share the story of a region that has historically been misunderstood.

"I am very grateful to the miners and community members that have been willing to let me into their lives and tell their stories."

Photos top to bottom: A rally was held to save Hibbing Taconite from closing (top two photos); Hibbing Taconite, the world’s largest open pit iron ore mine; O’Connor (center) and two undergraduate research assistants Shayla Miller and Ian Gullickson.

Associate Professor

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: ADAM SAFFER

BY MADELEINE WARE

HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU SPEAK TO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS? Who do you trust to go to for credible information? Have you ever thought about how the people around you might shape what you believe?

These are the questions that underlie the concept of networks—or the many ways that social environments influence people’s behaviors and perceptions of events. Networks are a key area of study for Associate Professor Adam Saffer, whose most recent research employs some of the latest advances in network science to study how networks shape communication between Malaysian NGOs and how they shape individuals’ attitudes toward COVID19 in the U.S.

MAPPING ACTIVIST NETWORKS IN MALAYSIA

In the last five years, the Malaysian government has entered a period of instability. In May 2018, the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan soundly defeated the Barisan Nasional party, which had held power for 61 years—the entirety of Malaysia’s independent political existence. Yet, just as the pandemic began unfolding in 2020, the governing coalition collapsed with the surreptitious realignment of political parties and the sudden resignation of the prime minister. Malaysia is now on the border between electoral democracy and electoral authoritarianism, with Malaysian civil society losing its foothold in government. This political upheaval has also sparked new connections and severed other ties among Malaysian government reform NGOs trying to navigate a changing political landscape.

Saffer uses the term “political opportunity structure” as a way to think through the ways that changes in political structures can constrain or encourage collective action, and this concept of political opportunity structures is central to new research that tracks, maps, and illuminates the complicated networks of Malaysian activist groups. “We want to know why network structures among NGOs take the form that they do, and how they constrain or enable NGOs to accomplish their collective action goals,” he said.

The project is a collaboration that spans countries and institutions—with other main collaborators including new Hubbard School Associate Professor Erich Sommerfeldt, previously from the University of Maryland, Andy Pilny from the University of Kentucky, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which is providing groundwork support in collecting data through surveys. According to Saffer, this approach to studying activist groups is unique.

Rather than isolating one organization, Saffer is able to map a complex network that gets at the heart of how NGOs communicate and collaborate using surveys. This allows his team to not only track connections between organizations, but also understand those connections on a deeper level. “When researchers only use secondary data scraped from websites or social media, they only know that NGO A has some connection with NGO B. That doesn’t tell us ‘Do they trust them?’ or ‘What is the frequency of communication between those NGOs?’ With my data, we can actually see the strength of those ties.”

Although this research is focused on Malaysian international politics, Saffer is hoping that his data will bring about a better understanding of how global shifts toward authoritarianism are shaping activism in destabilized countries, and how activists can work together in order to combat oppressive practices, such as threats toward migrants, LGBTQ people, and other threats that jeopardize the lives of people in authoritarian countries.

MEASURING ATTITUDES ABOUT COVID-19

Saffer’s research has also focused on issues relevant to the United States, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, one of Saffer’s studies unpacked how social networks play a role in whether or not people avoid news about COVID-19, and how overlapping ties with certain types of individuals may limit a person’s exposure to new information.

Adam

Saffer’s research uses the latest advances in network science to reveal how social ties affect organizations and individuals.

In a time of political polarization, especially over health initiatives, understanding how and why people come to ignore public health recommendations is vastly important. Saffer says that avoidance of COVID news is “one of the big challenges when you’re trying to get people to comply with recommendations like wearing a mask or getting vaccinated.”

Through research, Saffer found that the size and interconnectedness of social groups can have a large impact on whether people believe COVID news. For instance, if a person has a relatively small social circle in which everyone knows each other, information that can be redundant is more likely to be amplified. Whereas if a person’s social circle is large and has less overlap, they’re exposed to a wider variety of information.

Saffer also stresses that just because a person avoids the news, that doesn’t mean that the people in their social networks do. “As much as people might try to avoid reading news articles or watching news segments, people are still connected to others who are influenced by news in some way,” he said. So, rather than asking questions like “Are you avoiding the news?” Saffer is more interested in questions like “Who do you turn to to talk about COVID-19?” that reveal the underlying norms in social networks that encourage or discourage people to talk about COVID.

Saffer’s work shows that social networks can be a better tool to understand behaviors and attitudes than most traditional research methods. “One of the problems with traditional research approaches is that they make the major assumption that individuals are isolated,” he said. “In the last decade or so there have been more tools for researchers to study social environments. What I’m trying to do is have a better understanding of the dynamics of individual social environments so that we can design messages and campaigns that take that into account.”

These social networks have far-reaching implications

for the ways that news outlets and government agencies convey information and could help communicators create more effective messaging. “One of the most surprising things we found is that very few people listed a doctor as one of the people they turn to for COVID news,” he said, “and so one of the implications of our study is designing messages to nudge people to have conversations with the ‘right’ people.”

REBEKAH NAGLER AND DANIELLE BROWN JOIN IMPORTANT RESEARCH TEAM

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR REBEKAH NAGLER AND JOHN & ELIZABETH

COWLES Assistant Professor of Journalism, Diversity and Equality Danielle Brown are part of an important research team looking to provide rapid response media messaging research to promote health and racial equity. Nagler and Brown join University of Minnesota School of Public Health Associate Professor and Hubbard School affiliate faculty member Sarah Gollust, along with researchers from Cornell University and Wesleyan University. The research is funded with a newly announced $5 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

According to the School of Public Health: “The researchers will investigate how media sources portray racial and health inequality in social safety net policies and a variety of other health and racial equity-related issues. They will measure the impact on the public and policymakers made by stories designed to advance social change, and will share findings on evidence-based communication strategies that can accelerate support for targeted investments for improving health and racial equity. Finally, they will establish a model for effective research-practice partnerships so that accurate information can rapidly enter the nation’s media ecosystem.”

These social networks have far-reaching implications for the ways that news outlets and government agencies convey information and could help communicators create more effective messaging.

COMMUNICATION STRATEGIC

BUILDING A STRONGER INDUSTRY

BY AMANDA FRETHEIM GATES

THE HUBBARD SCHOOL’S PROFESSIONAL MASTER’S IN STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION launched in Fall 2005. The new program was fulfilling a need, in both the School and in the local industry. It was designed for the working professional—someone in charge of multipronged campaigns in an ever-changing world of diverse audiences. The program was built to give those professionals both theoretical and practical knowledge and help them maintain (and embrace) flexibility in their working lives.

Howard Liszt, a Senior Fellow at the time of the program’s launch, played a major role in bringing it to life. He said at the time, “This program is very different from what is out there and available to communications professionals. It is geared toward people who really want to hypercharge their careers. Students in this program will be well prepared to strategically and effectively implement communication strategies across multiple media and markets.”

What Liszt said, and what everyone in the School believed, was definitely true in 2005. And it remains true— maybe even more so—today.

“At almost 19 years strong, our program is one of the most established master’s programs in strategic

communication in the country,” said Scott Meyer, interim administrative director.

The program has always had a winning structure: two years, two nights a week, two courses per semester. Doable and practical for most full-time employees at any stage of their career. One cohort of around 20 students travels through the program together, making for great connections and camaraderie. In fact, the cohort model is something alums point back to over and over again as to why the program is successful in their eyes.

“It’s amazing how the cohorts blend and how supportive they are of each other,” Meyer said. Even the age gaps among students can prove to be a positive. “No matter how seasoned a student might be in their career, they can still learn from younger students about things like TikTok or SEO,” he said.

The program was born from the community connections the School had with local agencies and nonprofits—and those partnerships have only gotten stronger over time. Not only do industry leaders hire its graduates, many local professionals offer to teach in, and even lead, the program, including Meyer, John Eighmey Gordon Leighton and Steve Wehrenberg.

This year, the program added its first-ever advisory board, composed of alums and professionals from the industry. The board members not only provide guidance for the program overall, they help students with networking, too.

The board, along with Meyer and new academic director Erich Sommerfeldt, created a marketing roadmap to bring the program to the next level. The roadmap lays out four goals: building the program’s brand, so more people know how well-established it is; deft recruiting, through info sessions and bimonthly meet ups with faculty; boosting student success, with networking opportunities like forums, panel

Nearing the end of its second decade, the School’s professional master’s program only gets better with age.

PHOTOS BY LISA MILLER

discussions and career events; and celebrating alumni, by telling their success stories and bringing them on as ambassadors for the program.

“The program has helped me look at my projects more strategically. I find myself taking a step back to look at the bigger picture and seeing how what I’m doing ladders up to the larger strategy and the organization’s overall goals as opposed to focusing so much on the tactical work,” said Kate Metzger (M.A.’22).

The program has always offered the right mix of academia and professional training, ensuring students graduate with a well-rounded experience. “Some of the best feedback we get is about our blend of academic and professional faculty,” Meyer said. And even during a pandemic, the program proved versatile, moving online quickly and effectively. Online teaching worked so well that some courses are still taught in a hybrid format. Murphy Hall’s updated conference center, research suite and lower-level make hybrid teaching that much easier.

WHO ARE OUR GRADS?

The Professional Master’s program boasts more than 300 alumni who work all over the country in many different industries.

Where Alums Work 3M

Medtronic Google Ecolab Mastercard

Weber Shandwick Target

General Mills

Mayo Clinic

Ameriprise Financial

United Healthcare

Non-profit organizations

Common Job Titles

Social Media Manager

Digital Strategist

Communications Director

Communications Specialist

Consumer Insights Manager

Communications Research Analyst

Account Executive

Content Strategist

Marketing Specialist

Marketing Director

Public Relations Specialist

Advertising and Promotions Manager

UPCOMING INFO SESSIONS

Interested in the program? Join a virtual info session for more details.

March 15

April 19

May 17

June 14

12-1 p.m. Go to z.umn.edu/MA-StratComm to register.

Questions? Contact Scott Meyer (sdm@umn.edu) or Kassie Snyder (snyderk@umn.edu)

STUDY: REDUCING YOUTH INTEREST IN VAPING

A GROUP OF UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA RESEARCHERS, led by Associate Professor Sherri Jean Katz and including Director Elisia Cohen, are studying whether removing the flavor image and color from vape packaging would make it less appealing to young people. In the study, “Vaping flavors and flavor representation: A test of youth risk perceptions, novelty perceptions, and susceptibility,” the group asked 176 middle-schoolers questions about the topic. The study made several observations, including that the participants who viewed the fruit-flavored vaping product with flavor color and flavor image reported higher novelty perceptions and susceptibility than those who viewed the fruit-flavored vaping product with no flavor color and no flavor image. “It is essential to develop regulatory and public health strategies that reduce youth interest in vaping. This study suggests that we can reduce youth interest in these products by changing the packaging,” Katz said.

Not only do industry leaders hire its graduates, many local professionals offer to teach in, and lead, the program, including Meyer, John Eighmey, Gordon Leighton and Steve Wehrenberg.

COMMUNICATION STRATEGIC

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: HYEJOON RIM

BY MADELEINE WARE

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW STARBUCKS START INITIATIVES to reduce its environmental impact, or the last time you saw Target come out with a statement supporting its LGBTQ+ employees? Chances are, you encounter these practices frequently. Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR, refers to the ways that corporations voluntarily contribute their resources for the betterment of society through practices such as philanthropy and employee volunteerism.

Associate Professor Hyejoon Rim began her journey in studying and researching Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) while working for a public relations agency in South Korea, where she developed CSR plans for the largest telecommunication company. “At the time, CSR wasn’t widely practiced,” she said, but Rim wanted to find ways to convince businesses to invest more in CSR. She was particularly interested in understanding how CSR was practiced in different cultures, as she spent time living in China, Korea, and Dubai.

She also found the importance of testing theories and providing evidence-based guidance to professionals on how CSR could be better implemented. “With academic research, I can actually show the strategic factors that generate positive or negative CSR outcomes, and I hope my research offers practical insights for professionals working in

such a fast-paced industry,” she said.

Rim’s current research projects span several dimensions of CSR—from the cross-cultural comparison of CSR practices to Corporate Social Advocacy (CSA) to local studies focusing on Minnesota companies and how their practices have changed, given the recent public health crisis and social justice movement.

SHIFTING CSR PRACTICES IN MINNESOTA

Rim’s first ongoing project involves interviewing the CSR managers and employees of Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. to gauge how the COVID-19 pandemic and social upheaval following the murder of George Floyd have changed CSR. “[These events] reminded us of the interconnectedness between society and business, and I investigate how businesses think about their roles in society and how they consider themselves as leaders that influence people’s everyday lives,” she said. In addition to understanding how business leaders view their own roles in society, Rim wants to identify the state of mutual understanding or expectation gaps between organizations and employees on their views of CSR.

One of Rim’s most interesting findings from this study was that Minnesotan Fortune 500s have been strongly committed to implementing DEI initiatives. “Compared to

Rim’s latest studies span several dimensions, exploring the interconnectedness of business and society.

PHOTO BY CLAY BANKS/UNSPLASH.COM

companies in other parts of the U.S., such as on the West Coast, Minnesota-based corporations describe themselves as being more conservative. However, recent issues of racial justice have become a turning point for conversations and real action,” she said. Minnesotan companies prioritize DEI, listening from employee resource groups, and even publicly advocating issues, as a way to build trust and strong relationships with their employees and communities.

CORPORATE SOCIAL ADVOCACY: THE INTERSECTION OF POLITICAL IDEOLOGY, BUSINESSES, AND CONSUMERS

But what about how CSR impacts us as consumers? In addition to researching how CSR operates internally within companies, Rim’s second study addresses CSA, a branch of CSR where companies take stances on socio-political issues like gun control, abortion, or gay rights. Rim is interested in understanding how people’s pre-existing attitudes toward corporations change when they encounter CSA.

“For example, say you like a company, but you’re against gun rights. The company you like makes a statement supporting gun rights legislation. Are you going to change your attitudes about gun rights, or your attitudes about the company?” she said. Rim likes to think of this model of CSA as a triangle, with the consumer, the issue, and the company as the three points. By using this triadic consumer-company-issue model and through the lens of balance theory, Rim is able to predict how CSA messages are received by consumers and untangle the complex relationships between political ideology, corporations, and consumers.

MEASURING EXPECTATIONS FOR TRANSPARENCY TRANSNATIONALLY

Rim’s last study is a transnational investigation of transparency communication in the U.S., South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and China. In this study, Rim is interested in measuring the public’s expectation for transparency communication across these four countries. Transparency in CSR means that a company is honest with its stakeholders about the issues that are relevant to them, and is crucial in building strong relationships with the public.

“Transparency in CSR communication influences a company’s ability to mitigate public skepticism and increase the perceived altruism and truthfulness of a company,” Rim said. By comparing the public’s expectation for transparency across different countries, Rim is able to get a transnational perspective on differences in CSR practices across the world. “[Transparency] ultimately influences

public trust in business,” she said. Rim has already begun to see the impact of her work and how it has helped professionals in the public relations and CSR fields. “I still have a lot of friends that are in the field, and they’re interested in my research findings. Also, when I talked to the CSR managers in my interview study, I received a lot of positive feedback,” she said. “They thought the questions were really thought-provoking and that they valued their job more after the interview and understood how their roles were critical in making society better.”

HUH EARNS META GRANT

HUBBARD SCHOOL PROFESSOR AND RAYMOND O. MITHUN Chair in Advertising

Jisu Huh, along with Wonsun Shin of the University of Melbourne (Ph.D. ’10), was selected by Meta for its 2022 People’s Expectations and Experiences with Digital Privacy Grant program. The program hopes to support academics in the social sciences and technical disciplines whose work will help Meta understand how to build privacy-centric products, inform robust data policies, and advance internal privacy programs and practices.

The request for proposal attracted 136 proposals from 112 universities and institutions around the world and Huh and Shin were one of just five teams to be chosen for their project, “Privacy and trust equilibrium of personalized social media ad acceptance.”

VRAGA RECEIVES $5 MILLION AWARD

HUBBARD SCHOOL ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR and Don and Carole Larson Professor in Health Communication Emily Vraga is part of a team of researchers who study how to combat misinformation online. The team has many collaborators from other institutions, including Hubbard School alum and University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Dhavan Shah (M.A. ’95, Ph.D. ’99).

In September, the team received a $5 million Phase II Convergence Accelerator cooperative agreement award from the National Science Foundation. The group plans to continue its development of Course Correct, a tool designed to help journalists identify and combat misinformation online.

37TH ANNUAL SILHA LECTURE ADDRESSES BOOK BANS, CENSORSHIP

BY CLAIRE COLBY

ON OCT. 25, 2022, ROBERT CORN-REVERE, a First Amendment expert and partner at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP in Washington, D.C., discussed book bans during the 37th Annual Silha Lecture. The United States has long faced controversies over banning books, he said. “The names change over time, but the issues continue to recur,” he said. “There’s always going to be some moral panic or another and it’s going to affect certain titles at a given time. And then years later, people are wondering what all the fuss was about. But then a whole new set of outrages come up and people fight each other over those.”

Approximately 120 individuals attended Corn-Revere’s lecture titled “Inherit the What? Banning Books in 2022,” in Cowles Auditorium on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus. The lecture was the first to be held in person since 2019, and an additional 60 people attended the lecture live, utilizing the online

option offered due to continuing COVID-19 concerns. Corn-Revere was the first-ever repeat Silha lecturer. His 2007 lecture, titled “The Kids Are All Right: Violent Media, Free Expression, and the Drive to Regulate,” addressed the regulation of violent video games.

The 2022 lecture’s title was derived from that of the 1955 play (and subsequent 1960 film) “Inherit the Wind” about the 1925 Scopes “monkey trial.” The case involved Tennessee’s ban on teaching the theory of evolution in public schools and centered around a biology textbook that treated evolution as established fact.

Corn-Revere drew connections to the current political and cultural climate. “We live in a time of great technological and social change,” he said. “We are still recovering from the global pandemic.” Our country has experienced “significant political polarization,” and public education has again become a focal point of cultural debates.

Freedom of speech laws need to be “supported by a culture of expression,” Corn-Revere argued. At the time of the Scopes trial, there “really was no developed First Amendment jurisprudence in the United States” and “book banning was essentially the norm.”

controversial subjects.” Some bills, like the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, colloquially known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, received great national attention. The Texas “Partisanship Out of Civics Act” requires teaching “widely debated and currently controversial issues” without giving deference to any one perspective. Corn-Revere said that following the passage of the Texas law, a school administrator told teachers that if they had books in their classroom about the Holocaust, they must also offer a book with “other perspectives.” Corn-Revere noted that this trend is accelerating: 137 bills with “educational gag orders” have been introduced in 2022.

Between July 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022, 86 school districts in 26 states enacted book bans affecting 1,145 titles by 874 authors.

Corn-Revere said at that time the country “still had work to do on developing a culture of free expression.” He displayed contrasting images of Hitler Youth members burning books in Nazi Germany with images of students in a Catholic school in New York burning comic books at the “height of a national panic over whether comic books caused juvenile delinquency.”

These issues “continue to pop up from time to time,” Corn-Revere said. In 2005, a federal court in Pennsylvania held that a law allowing teaching intelligent design instead of evolution was “not science.” He predicted that cases like this will continue “as long as there are politicians.”

Several social factors are responsible for the problems currently facing schools, Corn-Revere said. First, the New York Times Magazine published “The 1619 Project” in 2019, which suggested that preserving slavery was a primary motive for the American Revolution. It won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for commentary. The Times selected the Pulitzer Center to produce a companion curriculum based on “The 1619 Project,” and 17 states sought to expand the teaching of “anti-racist” history. At the same time, 36 states made efforts to restrict that type of curriculum.

According to PEN America, an organization that supports writers and free expression, between January and September 2021, 24 state legislatures introduced 54 bills to restrict teaching in the K-12 schools and some of these bills extended to state agencies and universities. Eleven of these bills passed by late 2021: 42 of the bills prohibited discussion of “divisive concepts,” with eleven bills prohibiting using materials from “The 1619 Project” specifically, and nine bills targeting critical race theory. Eight bills would mandate “balanced teaching of

These are “complicated issues” with “strong opposing views” and Corn-Revere clarified that he was not arguing that there was a “clear right side or wrong side” to “the policy issues facing schools.” The problem is not that people have diverging views, but rather “that these issues have been politicized in a winner-takes-all culture clash.” Banning books and school curriculum issues are closely linked, he said.

He said that between July 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022, 86 school districts in 26 states enacted book bans affecting 1,145 titles by 874 authors. Forty-one percent of bans resulted from directives from state officials or lawmakers, and 96 percent did not follow best practices established by the American Library Association, such as requiring a formal written challenge and review by a committee. Though there has been an “undoubted” and “well-organized” increase in book banning activities, Corn-Revere said that these bans still only affect a small proportion of school districts.

Corn-Revere thinks the law of free expression remains solid, but worries about the future. He is “not as alarmed” as he could be because “censorship is a losing proposition.” Censorship tends to make things popular. “The lesson should be that these efforts to ban books are futile,” he said. The problem comes from “institutionalizing the culture war” via politics, adding that we need to “find ways to turn down the heat” on this situation. It’s a “mistake for state legislatures to micromanage curriculum” or single out specific works for exclusion.

“I’m not here to give you a solution but I will say that we do need to find a way to minimize the polarization that surrounds education,” Corn-Revere said. “This winner-takes-all culture war approach is unsustainable, unwinnable, and will serve no one. We need to focus more on the things that bring us together.”

A video of the lecture is available online at silha.umn.edu. Silha Center activities, including the annual Silha Lecture, are made possible by a generous endowment from the late Otto and Helen Silha.

SILHA

SCHOLARSHIP & ENGAGEMENT FACULTY NEWS

Don Allen

COLIN AGUR published “Newly minted: Non-fungible tokens and the commodification of fandom” in New Media & Society.

The University of Minnesota Student Veterans Association (SVA) appointed DON ALLEN as their new faculty advisor. The SVA is a student-led veterans group that supports the veterans of our country’s military services, and the goal is to help student veterans smoothly transition from servicemember to scholar.

SID BEDINGFIELD’s latest book has received an award from the American Historical Association (AHA). Journalism and Jim Crow: White Supremacy and the Black Struggle for a New America, a collection of research essays co-edited by Bedingfield and Kathy Roberts Forde, won the Eugenia M. Palmegiano Prize for the best book on journalism history published in 2021. The AHA honor follows similar awards from the American Journalism Historians Association and the Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication History Division.

VALÉRIE BÉLAIR-GAGNON was on sabbatical during the fall semester working on an edited book titled Happiness in Journalism, which explores experiences, concepts, methods and best practices for journalism well-being.

DANIELLE BROWN presented the LIFT project at the Knight Foundation’s Informed Conference in November 2022. The conference brings together key leaders and experts to engage around the biggest questions at the intersection of technology, media, and democracy. The LIFT project seeks to mitigate the harm of

dishonest, misinformed, and incomplete narratives amplified by the news media by circumventing systems through trusted messengers in Black communities. This solutions-based project currently centers on the perspectives, experiences, and dynamics of Black communities. A public report of the findings from research in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area will be released in April 2023.

DANIELLE BROWN and RUTH DEFOSTER presented their paper “How memorable is Black Lives Matter? Predictors of perceived and salient memories about Black civil rights protests” at the Southern Political Science Association conference in Florida in January.

MATT CARLSON has published two recent journal articles. He is co-author with Nikki Usher of “Journalism as historical repair work: Addressing present injustice through the second draft of history” appearing in the Journal of Communication, and co-author with Hubbard School Ph.D. student Andrew Locke of the Journalism Studies article, “How news organizations sell native advertising: Discourses of integration and separation on in-house content studio web sites.” He is also the author of the book chapter “Journalists, epistemology, and authority” in the Routledge Companion to News and Journalism.

GAYLE GOLDEN wrote an op-ed for the Star Tribune called, “Rumors of Minnesota Daily’s death are exaggerated.” She also serves as co-chair of the Women’s Faculty Cabinet.

In August 2022, JISU HUH served as a visiting scholar at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Her visit was funded by the University of Melbourne’s Dyason Fellowship and

University of Minnesota’s Global Programs & Strategy Alliance International Travel Grant Fund. During her visit, she gave public lectures in the School of Culture and Communication and offered a public webinar involving both University of Minnesota and University of Melbourne’s scholars and graduate students under the title of “Computational Strategic Communication Research in the Data-Driven World.” During the visit, she also worked on multiple research projects with faculty members at the University of Melbourne and developed a collaborative research grant proposal. Huh’s research proposal developed in collaboration with Wonsun Shin (Ph.D. ’10) at the University of Melbourne, Australia, titled “Privacy and trust equilibrium of personalized social media ad acceptance,” has been selected for funding by Meta Platforms, Inc., under Meta’s 2022 People’s Expectations & Experiences with Digital Privacy RFP. This award comes with an unrestricted research grant of more than $100,000.

MARK JENSON was elected to the National Executive Education Committee (NEEC) of the American Advertising Federation (AAF). He also moderated a panel on “State of DEI Efforts in the Agency Business” in December 2022.

SHERRI JEAN KATZ published “Vaping flavors and flavor representation: A test of youth risk perceptions, novelty perceptions, and susceptibility” in Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

JANE KIRTLEY took part in the closing debate at the Media Law Resource Center’s London Conference 2022: International Developments in Libel, Privacy & Free Expression Law, on

Mark Jenson

Danielle Brown

Jisu Huh

Gayle Golden

Colin Agur Valerie Belair-Gagnon

Ruth DeFoster

Matt Carlson

Sid Bedingfield

Sept. 20, 2022. She was teamed with KC Gavin Millar to argue against the proposition: The Internet Has Failed Us As A Society. She filed written comments with the Minnesota Supreme Court prior to their Sept. 20 hearing on whether to revise the Minnesota General Rules of Practice to expand media camera access to Minnesota courts. She had previously provided written and live oral testimony to the Supreme Court Advisory Committee for the Rules of Criminal Procedure on Feb. 25, 2022. The committee report recommended making no changes in the current rules, which restrict camera access to criminal trials and require the consent of all parties.

On Oct. 20, 2022, MARÍA E. LEN-RÍOS served as a panelist on a webinar series “Race in the Classroom.”

The session was titled “Making a Difference: How Hispanic Scholars and Practitioners Strengthen PR.” Event sponsors included the Institute for Public Relations, the PRSA Educators Academy, and The University of Texas at Austin’s Moody College of Journalism. On Nov. 17, 2002, Len-Ríos served as a discussant on a panel at the National Communication Association conference session titled “Public Relations Research Then and Now: Lessons from Leading Scholars on Building the Future of Public Relations and Strategic Communication” featuring prominent theorists Glen Cameron (Missouri), James E. Grunig (Maryland), Robert L. Health (Houston), and Maureen Taylor (Sydney).

SCOTT LIBIN led a session on Navigating Intergenerational Newsrooms at the September convention of the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) in Indianapolis. He also facilitated an ethical decision-making

exercise on Grappling with Conflicting Values for the Minnesota Library Association at its October convention in Duluth. Libin wrote the sections on Activities, Thinking About Media Literacy, and Questions for Discussion and Critical Thinking in the newly published 8th Edition of Media Today: Mass Communication in a Converging World

REGINA MCCOMBS spoke virtually with the Women’s Leadership Academy for YSEALI nations, a hybrid conference held at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, on Storytelling for Nonprofits and NGOs in August. She also spoke virtually on Cross-Media Storytelling for a program on multimedia journalism put on by the Media Institute of the Caribbean in September, and had one-on-one sessions with journalists from around the Caribbean. McCombs moderated an afternoon session with a group of international photojournalists for a U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program put on by Global Minnesota in September. In October, she started a video training program for MPR News, and served as their photo editor on election night. McCombs’ students had the chance to have photos published in the MPR News galleries that night.

SCOTT MEMMEL was nominated for the College of Liberal Arts’ 20222023 Arthur “Red” Motley Exemplary Teaching Award.

REBEKAH NAGLER published an article titled “Vulnerability to the effects of conflicting health information: Testing the moderating roles of trust in news media and research literacy” in Health Education & Behavior. Collaborators on this research included Marco Yzer, Rachel Vogel (medicine), Sarah

Gollust (public health), and Alex Rothman (psychology).

AMY O’CONNOR received a Grant-InAid for more than $36,000 from the University of Minnesota Office of VP for Research for her research on the Iron Range mining communities called “Mine Life: Communication, Work and Identity.”

HASEON PARK had a paper accepted recently for a presentation at the 2023 annual conference of American Academy of Advertising titled “A cross-cultural study of consumer engagement through social media influencers on Twitter: A computational comparison of American and South Korean influencers.” In the paper, Park and co-authors conducted computational analyses including social network analysis plus textual analysis to compare different engagement patterns among influencers and consumers from the U.S. and South Korea.

HYEJOON RIM published “Consumer responses to corporate social responsibility communication from stigmatized industries: E-cigarettes and consumers’ use of persuasion knowledge” in the Journal of Marketing Communications and “Triadic public-company-issue relationships and publics’ reactions to corporate social advocacy (CSA): An application of balance theory” in the Journal of Public Relations Research.

ADAM SAFFER was invited to serve on the 2022 Bob Heath Award Committee for the International Communication Associations’ Public Relations Division to select the top article in the field. He also serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of Advertising and the Journal of Public

Jane Kirtley

Sherri Jean Katz

Amy O’Connor

Rebekah Nagler

Scott Libin

Hyejoon Rim

Scott Memmel

María E. Len-Ríos

Haseon Park

Regina McCombs

SCHOLARSHIP & ENGAGEMENT

Relations Research. He wrote two book chapters, including “Network approaches to public relations theory & practice” in Public Relations Theory III and “Toward a multi-dimensional network model of CSR initiatives” in the Routledge Corporate Social Responsibility Communication (CSR) Handbook. He published three articles, including “Putting stakeholders’ engagement in the equation: Proposing the integrated network engagement model” in Public Relations Review; “Threat appraisals and emotions in crisis: Examining information seeking and sharing in Hurricane Florence” in the Journal of Applied Communication Research; and “Interorganizational homophily and social capital in civil society networks: Do birds who seek the same feather get the worm?” in Communication Monographs.

CLAIRE M. SEGIJN won the Top Paper Award, Special Topics ‘Digital advertising, artificial intelligence, and technological innovations’ from the Ad Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication at their annual conference in August 2022 for the paper “Chilling effects as a result of corporate surveillance in digital advertising. A comparison between American and Dutch media users.” She wrote the paper with Joanna Strycharz from the University of Amsterdam. Additionally, Segijn was named an Associate Editor for the Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising.

ERICH SOMMERFELDT was elected vice chair of the public relations division of the International Communication Association.

ALLISON STEINKE became the Public Relations Student Society of America’s

chapter faculty adviser in August 2022. She helped build the chapter up to 14 official members, including a seven-member executive team. In a consultant capacity, she served as editor for Anselm House’s 40th Anniversary book, 40, celebrating the ministry organization’s 40 years of service to and with faculty, staff, and students on the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus.

CHRISTOPHER TERRY presented the top paper, “Counting formats: A test of the internal competition theory at the foundation of FCC media ownership policy” in the NCA Communication and Law Division in New Orleans in November. He also gave interviews to MPR on broadband deployment in the state and a series on political advertising on WCCO Radio. In December, Terry was on a panel called “How Should the FTC Address Deceptive Endorsement Advertising Online?”

BENJAMIN TOFF published an article in Political Communication on the emotional impact of news called “How news feels: Anticipated anxiety

as a factor in news avoidance and a barrier to political engagement.” It was (partly) the subject of an interview Toff did on Minnesota Public Radio in August.

EMILY VRAGA created a day-long event that took place on Oct. 20, 2022 and included her moderated panel titled “How Covid Has Changed Health Communication: A New Path Forward” with panelists Sun Joo Ahn, Seth Noar, and Vish Viswanath (M.A. ’86, Ph.D. ’90). This event brought together leading scholars across the nation to discuss the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, and where health communication can go from here.

Wiley Publishers awarded MARCO YZER a book contract for an edited book on mental health communication called The Handbook of Mental Health Communication. Yzer and his co-editor Jason Siegel (a professor of psychology at Claremont Graduate University) are currently finalizing the list of authors for the 37 chapters of the book. The book will be published in 2024.

ALVIN ZHOU (left) presented a conference paper, “Shaping corporate character via chatbot social conversation: Impact on organization-public relational outcomes” at this year’s Public Relations Society of America Educators Academy Summit and won its top faculty paper award.

Emily Vraga

Marco Yzer

Benjamin Toff

Christopher Terry

Adam Saffer Claire Segijn

MEET A GRAD STUDENT: CHLOE GANSEN

The Ph.D. student has spent her time in higher education researching health communication.

❙ INTERVIEW BY AMANDA FRETHEIM GATES

Originally from Janesville, Wisc., Ph.D. student Chloe Gansen’s research interests are in health communication with a focus on how information in the media environment contributes to vaccine hesitancy. Currently, she is interested in the effects of media messages that politicize science and health recommendations by associating the topics with controversy or partisan conflict.

Q Why did you choose to attend the University of Minnesota?

A While I was deciding whether and where to pursue a Ph.D., a common theme I kept hearing from other doctoral students was how the people (faculty, program staff, advisors) can make all the difference in whether you have a positive, fruitful experience. Having truly enjoyed building connections at the Hubbard School during my B.A. and M.A., it was an easy decision to make—I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to continue learning from the School’s amazing health communication faculty and experts from other mass communication subfields.

Q What Hubbard School professors have inspired you in your work, and why?

A Quite honestly, the idea of graduate school wasn’t even on my radar until I met Drs. Rebekah Nagler and Marco Yzer. They have been major sources of support and inspiration throughout my academic journey, and I credit them with sparking my interest in health communication research. I especially find the implications of their work inspiring, as their research provides important learnings regarding the development of effective messaging and strategies that support public health efforts. Dr. Nagler’s research on the effects of exposure to conflicting health information has also motivated research questions that led to my interest in the implications of politicized health messaging.

Q What have you found to be some of the best features of the Hubbard School Ph.D. program?

A The learning community and supportive, collaborative atmosphere are by far the best features of the School.

Q What parts of your current research projects excite you most?

A The opportunity to work with health communication scholars whose work I’ve admired for years, as well as experts from other disciplines—including public health and epidemiology—is what excites me most about my current research projects. These collaborations have been invaluable for my development as a scholar.

Q What advice would you give to someone considering graduate school?

A In addition to speaking with current or past graduate students about their experiences, it’s equally valuable to connect with people who found professional success without obtaining a graduate degree. This allows you to gain a balanced perspective to better reflect on your own professional and personal goals, and find the best path forward.

“The learning community and supportive, collaborative atmosphere are by far the best features of the Hubbard School.”

GRADUATE STUDENT NEWS

using reasoned action approach” at the 2022 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference in August.

MARAL ABDOLLAHI AND DANFORD

ZIRUGO received the Ralph D. Casey Dissertation Research Award, which recognizes outstanding graduate achievement for dissertation projects; it is the highest honor that the school gives to graduate students. Abdollahi is being honored for her dissertation project, “Human users’ responses to virtual social media influencers and strategic and ethical implications for communication,” and Zirugo is being honored for his dissertation project, “Zimbabwean journalists as a fractured interpretive community: An analysis of news media struggles for professionalization under repressive conditions.” They were awarded $6,000 to put toward their research.

BUGIL CHANG received second place in the student competition in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Public Relations Division for his paper, “Moving beyond negative spillover: The positive consequences of innocent brand’s responses to another brand’s crisis.”

YUMING FANG presented her paper “Varied optimal predictor of college student’s depression help-seeking intentions: An illustrative multiple-year analysis of three samples

CHLOE GANSEN received this year’s Dan Wackman First-Year Graduate Student Research Award for her paper “Proposing a conceptual model for politicization carryover effects.” The annual Wackman award was established with generous gifts from professor emeritus Dan Wackman and others to honor a first-year graduate student or small group of graduate students who produce the best research paper for a completed first-year graduate project in mass communication. Gansen received $2,000 in recognition of her work.

KATIE HAEJUNG KIM presented her paper “Employees’ voice on corporate social irresponsible behavior: The role of organizational identification and situational perceptions” at the 2022 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference in August.

HAO XU presented his paper “Understanding the combined effects of stance congruence and publics’ pre-existing corporate attitude in corporate social advocacy,” at the 2022 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference in August.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT NEWS

Several students were nominated for the Hearst Journalism Awards. NOOR ADWAN and RAY SHEHADEH were nominated in the feature writing category. SAMANTHA WOODWARD and MAIA IRVIN were nominated in the explanatory writing category. SHANNON BRAULT and ALICE BENNETT were nominated in the photojournalism-news and features category. ADAM BEININGEN was nominated in the television features category.

Several students participated on the Student Advertising Summit committee, which plans the local annual event where students can learn and network with professionals in the industry. The students include: SYDNEY ANDERSON, JULIAN BOGDANOV, TAYLOR GISH, TAYLOR KAYE, MUNA MOHAMED, CAROLINE PRITCHARD, LILY SHAW, ISAAC STEFFENSEN, and BEN VILLNOW

DESTINY CARTER-WLEH, ELIZABETH GORDON, FATUMA JAMA, BEAMLAK LULSEGED, SARA OMAR and LUCKETT VANGUARD were all accepted into the 2023 class of Most Promising Multicultural Students (MPMS) by the American Advertising Federation. The group will spend a week in New York City with the program. This year’s MPMS class consisted of only 50 students; having six from the Hubbard School is impressive.

ELIZABETH WELLS received the 2022 Washington Media Fellowship, which includes a $1,500 scholarship to help continue her studies in majors that are at the intersection of advertising and public policy.

SAMANTHA WOODWARD is an intern at NBCUniversal on CNBC’s Investigative Unit.

Bugil Chang Hao Xu

Maral Abdollahi Danford Zirugo Yuming Fang

Katie Haejung Kim

The STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGNS class final project client was Old El Paso from General Mills. Four teams started working on this project in September and presented their final presentations to the client Alyx Orstad (B.A. ’14) on Dec. 12. The challenge was to develop a complete IMC plan to help Old El Paso reach the Millennial audience.

The AD STRATEGY/CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT class final project client was Moms Demand Action. On Nov. 16, the group presented their initiative of getting gun owners to safely lock their firearms. Then Simpls, a local fast-casual restaurant, provided the class with a challenge to build awareness for this client. Five teams made their final project advertising presentations to the clients on Dec. 12.

Members of the School’s PRSSA student group had a busy fall, attending the 2022 PRSA Midwest Conference and an agency tour at Carmichael Lynch Relate in Minneapolis (below). The group also plans to submit work to the national Bateman Competition in spring 2023.

In December, the PHOTOJOURNALISM class participated in a lesson about drones from Mark Vancleave (B.A. ’13) from the Star Tribune.

Because the basement of Murphy Hall (and the broadcast studio) were under renovation for the fall semester, the TV, RADIO AND DIGITAL NEWS REPORTING class met at KSTP instead. The students had a chance to sit in on the station’s morning editorial meetings and KSTP reporters guest spoke in the class. The students also had the chance to spend an entire shift in the field with a KSTP news crew.

Members of the School’s ADCLUB student group took agency tours of both Haberman and Colle McVoy during the fall semester.

MEET A STUDENT: LUCKETT VANGUARD

The Minneapolis-born strategic communication major graduates this spring.

❙ INTERVIEW BY AMANDA FRETHEIM GATES

After delving into business and computer science, senior Luckett Vanguard discovered strategic communication was the path for him. Vanguard has made the most of his time in the Hubbard School by participating in the National Student Advertising Competition student group and using his new skills by working at a local agency.

Q Why did you decide to pursue your major?

A At the beginning of my college career, I thought it was vital to pick a major that was perfect for me. In my mind, that very major was going to shape the rest of my life. Because of that mindset, I walked into college committed to the idea that I was going to become the best undergraduate international business student any college has ever seen. That fantasy quickly died so I shifted to Computer Science. Once again, not a fit. Finally, after speaking with someone in the advertising industry I realized that my creative interests were better suited for a career centered around

ideas and focused on people. After talking with a few faculty members in the Hubbard School, I made the switch and the rest is history.

Q What has been your favorite part of your experience at the School?

A The Hubbard School is a great place to develop not only as a professional but also as a person. I think it’s amazing that we students have access to such an incredibly smart and talented faculty. Whether I’m concerned about properly analyzing data, or if I should sound more casual when reaching out on LinkedIn, there always seems to be an answer that helps me develop in ways that matter to me.

Q What is one aspect of your major that most surprised you?

A One aspect of my major that surprised me was how many jobs it applies to. With a Strat Comm degree, I can work in entertainment, government, finance, and everything in between. I love that I’m developing a foundation of knowledge here at the Hubbard School, and I’ll be able to apply it to whatever job market is best suited for me in the future.

Q What class or professor has had the biggest impact on you?

A I could list each professor I’ve had thus far. I have yet to run into a faculty member that isn’t willing to take a few moments from their day to chat with students just to make sure we’re doing OK. With that being said, I have to mention the impact that Mark Jenson has had on my time here at the University. Anyone who has had the privilege of meeting Mark knows that he embodies kindness and care. Mark has a dedication to each of his students that is immediately felt within moments of talking to him. I was introduced to Mark when he came into my Journalism 1001 course and spoke about the National Student Advertising Competition

I have yet to run into a faculty member that isn’t willing to take a few moments from their day to chat with students just to make sure we’re doing OK.

(NSAC). Since then Mark has given me pep talks, introduced me to scholarships that I didn’t know existed, furthered my knowledge of the advertising industry, and above all he has remained available and approachable. I aim to possess a fraction of his mindfulness and compassion.

Q What minors, internships, or activities are you pursuing outside of your major?

A Currently, I work as a brand developer for a local company here in Minneapolis. I’m extremely fortunate to have a job that allows me to practice the skills that I learn in class. I also joined the NSAC team this year.

Q What advice do you have for future Hubbard School students?

A Reach out to your professors and ask questions. They have life/work experience that they are more than willing to share with you. You don’t need to know all of the answers and some people are willing to help you. Take advantage of that.

Q What do you wish you had known about your career path before now?

A There are so many facets to the advertising industry and part of the fun is letting them unfold over time. Each day feels like a treasure hunt and it is extremely rewarding to find tidbits of knowledge that apply to whatever problem I’m working to solve at that moment.

ALUMNI NEWS

JJ AKIN (M.A. ’22) is senior manager, media relations, at Fast Horse.

CAITLIN ANDERSON (B.A. ’20) is a reporter at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, covering technology, startups, residential real estate and health care.

After 41 years as publisher, MARGO ASHMORE (B.A. ’78) sold the Northeaster, the community newspaper serving Northeast Minneapolis, St. Anthony, Columbia Heights and Hilltop.

JIM BAYER (B.A. ’75) is a co-editor of Eden Prairie Local News, a startup nonprofit digital news organization published at eplocalnews.org.

TIM BLOTZ (M.A. ’11) received an Upper Midwest Emmy for his work as a news anchor on FOX 9.

PHAVANNA NINA BOUPHASAVANH (B.A. ’03) joined Best Buy in a newly created role as a social impact content producer to lead storytelling efforts around Teen Tech Centers across the country.

BEN ENGEN (B.A. ’22) is content creative at Rise and Shine and Partners.

MARIAH FLORES (B.A. ’20) is a news reporter at LinkedIn News.

NATASHA FREIMARK (B.A. ’95) joined Mall of America as its tourism sales director.

JESSICA GORDON (B.A. ’22) is a marketing coordinator at Libra Solutions.

ALEXA GRACE (B.A. ’22) joined West Monroe as a consultant with the Operations Excellence - Organizational Change Management practice in the Chicago office.

LINDSAY GROME (M.A. ’13) is now the director of marketing and development at OneSource Center for Nonprofit Excellence.

MAGGIE HABASHY (B.A. ’07) started a new role at ExxonMobil leading communications and public/government affairs for the Low Carbon Solutions business.

SEND US YOUR NEWS!

Get a new job?

Earn a promotion? Receive an award? Or just want to update us on where you’re at? Email murphrep@umn. edu, include your name and graduation year, and we’ll consider it for the next issue of the Murphy Reporter.

TIM BROWNE (B.A. ’72) published his book The History of Yacht Racing in Minnesota—How Its Sailors and Boat Builders Transformed Competitive Sailing in America: 1870-2022

WILLOW BUCKNER-GAUDYNSKI (B.A. ’20) joined KARE-11 as a visual storyteller.

EMMA CAREW GROVUM (B.A. ’09) joined the staff of The Marshall Project as its first ever director of careers and culture. Carew Grovum will develop and execute a strategy to identify, recruit and communicate with future Marshall Project employees.

MACKENZIE DAVIS (B.A. ’20) has been a reporter at KAAL TV in Rochester, Minn., for almost 2 years.

LINWOOD HAGIN (M.A. ’79) retired as senior associate provost of academic administration at North Greenville University.

REBECCA HARRINGTON (B.A. ’14) is an executive editor at Insider in the News Division.

BRITTANY HAVILAND (B.A. ’06), is a producer for the TODAY show and received her fifth Emmy in June 2022.

HAMY HUYNH (B.A. ’20) is talent acquisition & DEI manager at Colle McVoy.

GRETA KAUL (B.A. ’12) is associate editor at MinnPost.

AVA KIAN (B.A. ’21) was named MinnPost’s race and health equity reporting fellow. The full-time position covers the different ways poverty, discrimination, education, employment, transportation,

ALUMNI

housing and the environment affect health and health care among Minnesota’s communities of color.

VINCENT KIERNAN (M.A. ’84) wrote “Atomic Bill: A Journalist’s Dangerous Ambition in the Shadow of the Bomb,” a biography of The New York Times science journalist William L. Laurence, published by Cornell University Press. Kiernan had a successful career as a science writer before earning a Ph.D. He is now the Dean of the Metropolitan School of Professional Studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

DOUG KILLIAN (B.A. ’82) is now senior director of marketing and public relations for Pleasurebent Tours in Tucson, AZ. He previously served in communications and marketing roles for Northwest Airlines and Mall of America.

EUNAH KIM (Ph.D. ’22) is an assistant professor at Mount Royal University in Alberta, Canada.

AVA KLOPFENSTEIN (B.A. ’22) is a content specialist at Curious Plot.

JULIA LARSON (B.A. ’21) started a position as an editorial assistant at Wine Spectator magazine in New York City.

AMANDA LEPINSKI (M.A. ’22) is now communications manager, Optum OI Provider Market, at Optum.

TYRESE LEVERTY (B.A. ’21) was the co-director of the 2023 Student Advertising Summit, the local annual event where students can learn and network with professionals in the industry.

SHANNON MURPHY (B.A. ’12) is creative director at MONO.

KATE NELSON (B.A. ’07) was named Editorial Director of the Year by Folio and was honored at the annual Eddie & Ozzie Awards in September 2022. She

was also a 2022 James Beard Media Award nominee.

TYREL NELSON’s (B.A. ’03) book, Travels and Tribulations, was recently selected as a Silver Winner (Collection of Human Relations Indie Short Stories or Essays) in the 2022 Human Relations Indie Book Awards. It was also listed as a Silver Winner in the April 2022 Literary Titan Book Awards and a Finalist (Memoirs: Overcoming Adversity/Tragedy) in the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

SADA REED (B.A. ’03, M.A. ’11), assistant professor at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, co-authored a paper with Jennifer Harker of Lipscomb University, that analyzed how American and Russian journalists covered doping scandals of their own athletes and athletes hailing from the other country after the athlete in question denied using PEDs. The study, “Dope and deny: A comparative study of news frames in American and Russian coverage of American and Russian athletes,” was recently published in International Journal of Sport Communication.

SHEPARD ROGERS (B.A. ’22) is a public relations coordinator at Lola Red.

GAIL ROSENBLUM (M.A. ’93) retired from the Star Tribune. She was also named to Pollen Midwest’s “50 Over 50” for her career-long work in solutions journalism. The judges said, in part, that “it takes a special kind of journalist to stand knee deep in the muck of the daily news cycle for 45-plus years and not become a jaded cynic. But fueled by the belief that each of us is obligated to do our part to fix the world, Rosenblum has chosen to lift up stories about goodness, hope, and change.”

FERNANDO SEVERINO DIAZ (Ph.D. ’20) is an assistant professor at Illinois State University.

ALEXANDRA SMITH (B.A. ’19) is a media relations specialist with the University of Minnesota Medical School.

MELVIN SMITH (B.A. ’75) and Rose J. Smith presented “Journey of a Lost Tribe,” an online exhibition in collaboration with Amanda Hunt, Oct. 6-Dec. 3, 2022.

THAN TIBBETTS (B.A. ’06) is now a director of engineering at TED.

PHUONG TRAN (B.A. ’20) is a user insights analyst, Tools & Reporting, at TikTok.

CHARLEY WALTERS (B.A. ’75) has been at the Pioneer Press for 48 years.

JAMIE YUCCAS (B.A. ’04) joined KCAL 9, the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, as one of its morning anchors. In addition to this role, Yuccas keeps her positions as a national correspondent for CBS News and as the host of Nickelodeon’s “Nick News.”

IN MEMORIAM

LYNN (UNDERWOOD) BALLINGER (B.A. ’80) died on Sept. 10, 2022. She worked for the Star Tribune for 40 years, writing on many topics, most recently in the Homes and Gardens section. Gardening was one of her passions.

TIM BROWNE (B.A. ’72) died on Sept. 28, 2022. During his career, Browne worked at corporations such as Colle McVoy, Young & Rubicam, HBO and Anheuser Busch. In 1987, Browne and his wife, Colleen, formed Browne+Browne Marketing, serving clients such as Wells Fargo, Dodge and Polaris. Browne was a champion sailor and just published a book about yacht racing before his death.

REGENE ‘REGGIE’ RADNIECKI (B.A. ’77) died on Aug. 30, 2022. She had a long career as a photojournalist at the Star Tribune. As one of the only female photojournalists at the time, Radniecki had to fight her way into Twins and Vikings locker rooms to cover Minnesota sports. After leaving the Star Tribune, she taught photojournalism at many schools, including Bemidji State University and Minnesota State University-Moorhead.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: LAURIE STERN

After a wide-ranging career telling other people’s stories, Stern was ready to tell her own.

❙ BY KATIE DOHMAN

Laurie Stern (M.A. ’07) has never taken a traditional route with her career, but she’s studied and worked alongside—and featured— some of the greats. She'd gotten her bachelor's in 1983 in psychology, but quickly found that wasn't her path.

Not long after, she began her master’s in journalism and took classes with the legends—educators such as Don Gilmor and Hazel Dicken-Garcia— but then was hired at KARE-11 as a research assistant.

Hired by political reporter Mary Stuckey, KARE’s political reporter at the time (and now a longtime friend), Stern worked at the Capitol and, like many journalists, said her first year was full of “funny and traumatic stories.” Still, she said she loved working there and described it as “interesting, fun, and scary at first.”

From there, Stern said she found herself smack dab in the middle of the “heyday of local TV news,” taking a position at WCCO Channel 4 for the enterprise reporting unit known as Dimension. “It was such a joy and privilege to work with really great people.”

When leadership in WCCO newsroom changed, she was recruited by Bill Hanley at TPT/PBS Channel 2 working on the weekly magazine KTCA Reports. By 1992, she was the news director and helped launch

When the idea came for “Defining Diego,” a podcast about Stern and her adopted son, she dropped everything. The 10-episode podcast launched last October.

the daily news program News Night Minnesota. She also met her husband, Dan Luke, who was a videotape editor. Despite the fact that she was surrounded by smart, fun, creative people—some of her best friends, in fact—she and her husband decided they were ready for a change.

Some people might get a haircut or switch from broadcast to print, but the pair took a fellowship through the International Center for Journalism, which sent them to Russia in 1995 to teach local TV news to the newly independent country. “It was adventure after adventure,” she said. “And Dan and I do really well in chaos.” In 1996, they returned stateside and hung out their own shingle as a production company.

That led to the documentary “Wellstone!” It wasn’t long after the fatal plane crash that she and her husband made a documentary about the Wellstone family’s lives and legacy. “It was so fresh and so painful and all kinds of people talked to us.” At the end of that two-year project, Stern returned to the Hubbard School to finish her master’s.

She hadn’t even received her degree when an offer came from American Public Media, where through the years, she produced stories

ranging in topics from poverty to Trump. It was another golden era of reporting for Stern, working on projects that were meaningful and powerful. But when the idea came for Defining Diego, a podcast about her and her adopted son, she dropped everything. It took seven years to get the pitch accepted, but it landed in the perfect place at Sony. The 10-episode podcast, which not only tells Stern’s family story but also dives into the world of international adoption, launched last October.

“There has always been some tension about whether journalists should be in the story at all. When I first started my masters’ degree, the answer was no,” she said. “But there are so many ways that’s changed with the media landscape changing and also the sensibility of ‘What Is journalism?’ and ‘What kind of transparency do listeners and readers deserve?’

“I no longer felt a quandary whether I had the authority to tell this story. I felt honestly that I knew more about it because of my personal experience and my training—and the questions about power, privilege, and agency—questions we wrestle with whether it’s at city hall or with international adoption. Aa Tiko’ [Diego] and I have a lens and the skills to talk about it that I think are valuable, so we did.”

So, now what? Stern’s not ready to retire, but she is ready to mentor and do work that matters. “As long as it’s interesting and pays a little, that’s really all I need,” she said. “There’s nothing I’d rather do. Really.”

PHOTO BY MORGAN FEIGAL-STICKLES

https://www.backpackumn.com

The Students Behind Backpack

Backpack students come from a variety of backgrounds and academic disciplines. Whether we come from the Carlson School of Management, College of Liberal Arts, the School of Design or the Hubbard School, we work cross-collaboratively to deliver outstanding client work and create a strong community for students interested in advertising, marketing, and communications.

The Work of Backpack

Backpack offers a wide range of services to our clients, like media planning and buying, content creation, brand redesign, and more. Our agency is divided into the accounts team, strategy team, and creative team, so students get a complete picture of the ways that agencies work and get relevant job experience based on their individual strengths and interests. Some of our notable clients include Serve Minnesota, The Toaster Innovation Hub, and the Minnesota Sleep Society.

Creating a Strong Future In Communications

We are proud to be a part of a long Hubbard School legacy of excellence in communications, and look forward to continuing to provide students with valuable work experience for years to come with Hubbard’s support. Through Backpack, students not only develop their professional and leadership skills, but find a true home on campus. Thank you for your support!

A Platform For Professional Development

Backpack isn’t just an ad club, we do real work that translates to real-world job experience. Being in Backpack is not only a way to build resumes, it gives students invaluable networking experience. At Backpack meetings and events, students can engage with guest speakers from a variety of fields and network with our Board of Advocates—a support system of industry professionals devoted to giving mentorship opportunities and career guidance to Backpack students. Backpack alumni have gone on to get positions at Colle McVoy, Carmichael Lynch, Accenture, MSPC, and more.

Continuing a Legacy Through Communications

We were excited to attend the Hubbard Centennial gala, a reminder of the ways that Hubbard helps students prepare for career success and give back to the Minnesota community and beyond.

THANK YOU TO HUBBARD SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM & MASS COMMUNICATION DONORS

With gratitude, we would like to acknowledge the generosity of the many donors to the Hubbard School. The President’s Club includes donors who have contributed more than $100,000 to the School over a lifetime, and the Heritage Society includes those individuals and organizations that have pledged a future gift to the School. We are grateful to all our lifetime and 2022 donors, all listed on the following pages.

The strength of our School and evolving programs depends on your ongoing support.

2022 PRESIDENT’S CLUB MEMBERS ($100,000+)

$10 MILLION+

Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc., and the Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation

$1 MILLION+

Elizabeth B.* and John* Cowles Sr.

Otto A.* & Helen F.* Silha

Don R.* & Carole J. Larson

$500,000-$999,999

Herbert Berridge Elliston Memorial

Fund

Raymond O.* & Doris B.* Mithun

Star Tribune and Star Tribune

Foundation

Raymond J. Tarleton

$100,000-$499,999

Michael H. Anderson

Paul S. Brainerd

CBS Corp/CBS Foundation, Inc

China Times Cultural Foundation

Vicki B. & David C. Cox

Duluth News Tribune

David D. Floren

Freedom Forum

Michael E. Hill & Barbara H. Bink

Laurie M. & Joel R. Kramer

Carol E. Ladwig*

Serge E. Logan*

Ferne M. Noreen*

Jane D.* & Bernard H. Ridder*

R. S. & Patricia W. Schuneman

Vincent B. Shea*

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Jean W. Ward*

WCCO AM/TV-WLTE FM

William D. Wells*

LIFETIME DONORS

$50,000-$99,999

3M Co./3M Foundation Inc

Adath Jeshurun Congregation

Keith H. Anderson*

Martin R. & Diane S. Brandt

Kenneth G. Brown*

Stan W. Carlson*

Lynn M. Casey & Michael J. Thornton

The Century Council, Inc.

Judith K. Conrad & James E. Stai

Deborah L. Hopp & Christopher T.

Dahl*

Judith A. & Steven L. Kopperud*

Chuck K. Porter

Porter Creative Services Inc

Jennifer A. & Jim L. Schweigert

Muriel L.* & Mark Wexler*

William Randolph Hearst Foundation

$25,000-$49,999

Brian E. Anderson*

Helen V. Beggs*

John L. & Neota L. Bradley

Phyllis B. Conrad*

Elizabeth J. & Michael Cooper

Ellen R. Costello*

Cowles Media Co.

Hazel F. Dicken-Garcia*

John F. Dille

Michael A. Donner*

Eastern Enterprises, Inc.

Thomas L. & Ann Friedman

Herman F. Haeberle*

Bette M. Hammel

Patricia J. Heikenen*

John T.* & Hazel H. Helgeson*

Allan A. & Lois J. Hietala*

Wendy F. Horn

Deborah M. Hudson & Rick S. Pallansch

John S. & James L. Knight Foundation

Susan S. & Clayton Kaufman*

Jacqueline S.* & Joseph C. Kinderwater*

Steven P. Krikava & Linda A. Singer

Mark R. Kriss

D. J. Leary* & Linda L. Wilson

Leland T. Lynch & Terry T. Saario

Lester A.* & Lorraine K. Malkerson*

Scott D. Meyer

Elena & Siegfred Mickelson*

Midwest Communications, Inc.

Sandra M. & C. R. Morris*

Michael L. & Betty A. Soffin

Solutran, Inc.

Star Tribune Media Co. LLC

Patrick J. Strother

Strother Communications Group

Charles B. Sweningsen*

Mabel L.* & Willard L. Thompson*

Tunheim Partners, Inc.

Kris S. Wenker

$10,000-$24,999

ACBL Charity Foundation Corp.

American Broadcasting Co., Inc

Asian American Journalists Association of Minnesota

Linda K. Berg

Jill M. Braaten

Ann M. Brill

Lily T.* & Walter H. Brovald*

Jane Y. Burk

J T. & Kathryn A. Burns

Robert W. & Virginia D. Carlson

Donna M.* & Leon C. Carr*

Richard A.* & Barbara B. Chapman*

Comcast Corp.

Gus L.* & Shirley G. Cooper*

Ddb Needham Worldwide, Inc.

Helen W. Donovan & Holly Nixholm

Elizabeth D. Edmonds*

Fast Horse, Inc.

Bruce R. Gefvert

Harvey M. & Gail D. Goldberg

Willard A.* & Doris A. Greenleaf*

Greenleaf Foundation

William F.* & Patricia M. Greer*

Mark J. Heistad*

Henry J. Kaiser Family Fdn

Miriam R. Hernandez

Mary J.* & Graham B. Hovey*

Todd T. & Karli Jo Hunt*

Interpublic Group

Jerome Foundation

John & Mary R. Markle Foundation

John Wiley & Sons Inc

Earl R Johnston III* and Brenda Johnston

KTCA/KTCI-Public T V

Sam H. Kaufman*

Beverly A. Kees*

William H.* & Madoline D. Kelty*

Land O’Lakes Inc. Foundation

Howard P. & Roberta J. Liszt

Mithun

Mary N. Mullaney*

National Broadcasting Co., Inc.

The New York Times Co. Foundation, Inc.

NYT Capital, Inc.

Janell M. Pepper

Photo Marketing Association

International

Jorg A. & Angela M. Pierach

Harold J. Roitenberg*

Falsum V. Russell*

S.C. Johnson Giving, Inc. Selwoc, Inc.

Sigma Delta Chi Foundation

Norma B.* & James A. Smutz*

Victor N. Stein*

Jim M. Sternberg & Marsha E. Sternberg-May*

Albert R. Tims & Kathleen A. Hansen

Daniel B. & Kathryn Wackman

Weber Shandwick

John W. Wheeler

Dare L.* & William F. White*

Milton P. Woodard*

Thomas C. & Elizabeth A. Yuzer

Note: We made every effort to ensure that this list is accurate and reflects contributions recorded between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022.

HERITAGE SOCIETY

John L. and Neota Johnson

Bradley

James D. Catalano

Harold* and Phyllis* Conrad

Roy D. Conradi

Norma C. and John R.*

Finnegan, Sr.

Sheila M. Gothmann

Joan L. Halgren

Deborah Hudson and Rick

Pallansch

Clayton Kaufman*

Steven P. Krikava

Don and Carole Larson

Stephen F. and Bonnie T.* Litton

Diane Siegel-Lund

Brad Madson

Carol L. Pine

Daniel and Katherine* Revsbeck

Nancy L. Roberts

Colleen M. Sauber

Elizabeth P. Shippee

Christine E. Spencer

Karen and Joe Sullivan

Mr. and Mrs.* Raymond J. Tarleton

Herbert A. Terry and Diane E.

Wille

Louis and Colleen Tschudy

Joy Winkie Viola

Jean Worrall Ward

Ellen Wartella and Charles

Whitney

William D. Wells

John W. Wheeler

Tom and Elizabeth Yuzer

HOW TO GIVE

If you have comments, questions, corrections or would like to make your own gift, please contact Peter Rogza at the University of Minnesota College of Liberal arts Office of Institutional Advancement at 612-6242848 or rozga@umn.edu

2022 DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE

Thank you to these supporters who made a gift between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022.

PARTNER LEVEL

Laura Asmus

Kjell & Donna Bergh

Jill M. Braaten

John L. & Neota L. Bradley

Martin R. & Diane S. Brandt

Broadhead LLC

J T. & Kathryn A. Burns

CCF

Elisia L. Cohen

Melissa Cohen & Sheldon Silberman

Judith K. Conrad & James E. Stai

Elizabeth J. & Michael Cooper

Helen W. Donovan & Holly Nixholm

Marcus Fischer

Michelle E. Fitzgerald

Lisa M. & Thomas F. Fouquette

Miriam R. Hernandez

Allan A. Hietala

Michael E. Hill & Barbara H. Bink

Tammy Hippen

William A. Hodder

Deborah L. Hopp

Robert W. & Heidi R. Hubbard

Hubbard Broadcasting Inc

Brenda Johnston

Judith A. Kopperud

Laurie M. & Joel R. Kramer

Steven P. Krikava & Linda A. Singer

Andrew M. & Suzanne M. Langdell

Carole J. Larson

Karen & John Loheit

Kathryn Lokken-Cox

Andrew Mackenzie

Myrna Meadows

Scott D. Meyer

MSP Communications

Marilyn C. Nelson

Kathy Robideau

Colleen M. Sauber

Jean C. Schlemmer

Christine E. Spencer

James M. Sternberg

Marshall H. Tanick & Cathy E. Gorlin

Herbert A. Terry & Diane E. Wille

Tschudy Family Foundation

Kasisomayajula Viswanath

Kristen S. Wenker

William Randolph Hearst Foundation

Linda L. Wilson

BENEFACTOR LEVEL

John Adams & Mary J. Pitzer

Reed W. & Christine D. Anfinson

Heather A. & Adam B. Arntson

Julie J. Bartsch

Paula M. & Steven A. Bilitz

Barbara A. Billings

Jonathan S. Bream

Ann M. Brill

Marian & Loren L. Chamberlain

Louis & Alissa Clark

Paulette M. & Stephen Filing

Brian R. Gabrial

Nancy C. Goodman

Anna N. Kruchowski

Deborah Kubes

Jaechul Lim

Gerald F. & Janet Madison

Barb & Kevin Marshall

Jeffrey T. Marzolf

Dan Mayasich

Rebekah H. Nagler

John S. & Christine K. Nichols

Cheryl A. Oulicky

Mark Schnurr

Julie Sexton & Scott Springman

Eric Shafer

John W. & Marilyn F. Shardlow

Dean & Joan Sherman

Mary J. Smetanka

Michael L. & Betty A. Soffin

Vicki Spielman

Marie A. & James R. Uhrich

Bastiaan H. & Jenny M. Vanacker

Jeff VanCleave

Daniel F. & Joyce L. Wascoe

Cory T. Way

Jon M. & Anita J. Young

Thomas C. & Elizabeth A. Yuzer

PATRON LEVEL

Patron Level

Mari L. Adamson-Bray & Daniel E. Bray

Carolyn W. Ahlstrom-Balmer

Jacob J. Akin

Daryl R. & Rodney Alexander

Celia Ampel

Dana L. Anderson

Betsy Anderson

Matthew Belanger

Emily Bijanagte

Timothy & Susan Blotz

Dale Bluestein

Burton H. & Marie A. Boersma

Mary K. Boylan & Richard J. Verner

Steven C. Brandt & Lynda M.

McDonnell

Kristi Brandt

James M. Brice

Donald F. Brod

Carleton W. Brookins

Alexandra Burrows

Amanda Carter

Lacy Chamberlain

Foon Chen

Marianne S. Combs

Frances F. Compton

David & Joan L. Conners

Mary M. Cornelius

Jean S. & Michael R. Cunningham

Tanner Curl

Joseph J. Curry

Alexa Cushman

Sara L. Danzinger

David and Julie Golias DAF-Orchard Alliance

Ted Davis

Mark E. & Jodi M. Derks

Gregory L. & Ofra F. Dose

Lynn M. & Robert E. Drechsel

Stacey L. Drentlaw Edgell & John M.

Edgell

Christine M. DuBord

Steven N. Dzubay

David J. Eder & Jason Lue

Diane S. Egner

Alecia Engelmeyer

Catherine Enger

Thomas E. & Sonja A. Eveslage

McKenna J. & Michele A. Ewen

Elizabeth Fedor

Jean A. Fenrick

Lisa Fisk

Richard A. Forschler & Kari Breen

Eugene C. Frazer & Jacqueline D. Thompson

Katherine Friesz Watt & Jason Watt

Elizabeth A. Fuller

Carolyn J. Ganz

Ruthvin M. Gardiner

Julian H. Gingold

Krista M. Giuffi

David P. & Julie J. Golias

Darlene A. Gorrill

Edward L. & Rachel Gubman

James B. Gustafson

Michael T. & Michelle Hemmesch

Andrew R. & Kaylee Highstrom

Lisa L. Hills & Rick Fiman

Tracy R. & John B. Hoeft

Thomas J. & Jane E. Hogan

Carol B. & Thomas J. Holmes

Jerry Holt

Kayla Hopgood

Deborah M. Hudson & Rick S.

Pallansch

Royce R. Hunter

Susanne E. Ingerson

Chris Ison

Mike & Pamela K. Jennings

Mark A. & Jodi Jenson

Janice I. & Russell V. Johnson

Harlan R. Johnson

Joe Johnston

David A. & Jan M. Jones

Loni Jorissen

Dean P. Joslin

Karen Keiser-Jenkins

Rolf M. & Marcia L. Kemen

Marilyn R. & Klaus J. Kemme

Mahmood Khan

Jane E. Kirtley & Stephen J. Cribari

Linda V. Kline

Ascan F. Koerner

Heidi Konynenbelt

Michael J. Kosik

Marit Lee L. Kucera

Kim K. Kusnier

William F. & Mary M. Kuykendall

Jennifer & Erik O. Kvalseth

Gary R. Larson & Judith A. Kim

Gordon W. Leighton

Maria E. Lenrios

Philip M. & Frances D. Lewenstein

Scott Libin

David L. Lillehaug & Winifred Smith

Jaeguk Lim

Diane R. & Jeffrey H. Lovich

Judith K. Mack

Erin L. Madsen

Regina J. McCombs

Diane Meade

Eric J. Meester

Becky A. Meierhofer

Adam Meyer

Philip C. Meyer

Tong Miao

Cheryl D. & Steve Michel

Sonia Milrod

Courtney Miner

David L. & Linda J. Mona

Steven A. & Valerie S. Morawetz

Robert S. Mucklestone & Megan E.

Kruse

Daryl C. Natz

Deanna M. & Derek B. Nicoll

Amy S. & Tim O’Connor

David Ogle

Haseon Park

Sarah M. Parsons & Dirk G. DeYoung

Dave Paschke & Jennifer Johnson

Ricky R. & Wendy S. Paulson

Lauren C. Peck

Jennifer K. Peterson

Jorg A. & Angela M. Pierach

James Piper

Barb Plehal

Steven Pope & Amanda S. Grimm

Emily L. Poskie

Sara Quinn

Rebecca R. Rand

Duane A. & Edith Rasmussen

Maureen K. Reed & James F. Hart

Patricia J. Reily

Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc

Kelley T. Ries

Hyejoon Rim

Nancy L. Roberts

Chelsey Rohrbacher

Alberto Rovira & Elizabeth H. Dunbar

David J. Rusinko

Mary Ryan

Eric E. & Jennifer L. Schaefer

Jon F. Scheid

Noel F. Schenker

Karen E. Schultz & David Larson

Inez M. & Lyall A. Schwarzkopf

Dan Seeman

Kristin R. Shardlow

Michael S. & Janice Shardlow

Eric J. & Julie H. Showers

Steve T. Shue

Gene Smaciarz

Connie M. Smith

Michelle Soares

Joe Spear

Royal Spragg

Jason J. Sprenger

Neal L. St. Anthony

Robert W. & Gineva M. Steventon

Thomas Suddes

Patrick J. & Tara K. Sullivan

Andrew Tangel

The Society of Professional Journalists

Kelli A. Theiler Brady

Beth Theobald

Shakita S. Thomas Kpetay

Sally A. Thompson & Jay R. Molter

Tracy Turner Youngblom

Ben B. Underwood

Kirk Varner

Emily K. Vraga

Maxine H. Wallin

Ellen A. Wartella

Jon Weber & Jean Laing-Weber

Joseph G. & Suzanne M. Weisenburger

Megan M. Wiley

Jodi L. Williamschen & Michael C.

Dickens

Ward W. Wixon

Steve Yaeger

Daniel J. Young

FRIEND LEVEL

Stuart P. Aase

Bradley P. & Cheryl A. Anderson

Cerisse M. Anderson Bennett & Robert Bennett

Barbara R. Bearman

Bridget Bergheger

Peter Bernard

Sheldon H. & Joan Beugen

Richard T. Bleyhl & Mary Welke

Kelly Brathwaite

Benjamin J. Bromley

Jeffrey Byson

Dennis G. Carlson

Kevin G. Coss

Matthew M. Cross

Peter R. & Amy M. Demarest

Michael R. Elyanow

Eileen M. Everett

David A. Fantle

Michelle Fredrickson

Samuel Freedman

Susan J. Fuller

Randy Furst

Andrew L. Garon

Elaine P. & Joe Geelan

Anna Gefroh

Jason Gitman

Noreen A. & Robert Groethe

Michael Hamerski & Susan Thurston-

Hamerski

Anastasia Hanley

Christopher R. & Misty R. Havens

Rebecca Hoeppner

William R. Hoffman

Daniel R. & Laura E. Holte

Julie Horihan

Jane Hubbard

Maren Hulden

Bikere Ikoba

Leo W. Jeffres

Andrew P. & Katherine K. Johnson

Sherri J. Katz

Aaron J. Keller

Gabriella A. Kinney

Katherine A. Knudson

Robert L. Koepcke

Dirk A. Korth & Lisa Winkler

Youjin Lee

Kim O. Lindahl

Scott & Paula Litman

Kari A. & Ian R. Logan

Kelli Ludlum

Rebecca Madsen

Daniel J. & Kay McCarthy

Richard J. McCracken

Allen D. Merry

Laura Y. Miller

Virginia H. Morris

Erik A. Nelson

Kristin L. & Robert D. Nelson

Karl W. Oestreich

Don Ogren

Mark Peter P. Pafiolis

Susan S. Pastin

Jeanne Portoghese

John A. Pribek

Evelyn C. Raedler

Pamela L. Ramsay

John P. Richards

Todd W. & Pamela J. Robinett

Grace Rose

Debra R. & David R. Schuh

Lynn E. & Mark O. Schwartz

Claire Segijn

Albert L. Shaff

Ginger L. Sisco

Eleanor R. Smith

Susan B. & Gary M. Soule

Paul M. Sponholz

Nora & Craig Stacey

Alexander L. Stern & Kristin N. Rush

Anita L. Thompson

Bryce M. Thompson-Tukes

Benjamin J. Toff

Gregory C. Turosak

Abby Uhrich

Carol A. & Raymond L. Vickery

Douglas S. & Connie W. Walter

Constance J. Walters-Speaker

Amy L. Wartick

Ann M. Waterhouse

Charlie Weaver

Meshach Weber

Brett J. Weinberg & Julie L. Silverman

Donna M. Weispfenning & Robert K. Groger

Amelious N. Whyte

Patricia S. Wilder & Ryan Schroeder

Marguerite C. Winter

Larissa Wong

Karen J. Wright

Edward J. & Susan M. Ziesche

Danford Zirugo

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